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When I was a kid, I would always lie to get out of trouble. The majority of the time the lie would get me into more trouble than I was facing at first. My dad would always tell me ” If you would’ve told me the truth to start with you wouldn’t be as much trouble as you are in now”. I would always roll my eyes and think “yeah right”. Somewhere in LA Josh Shaw was rolling his eyes too.

We recently heard a story about how USC CB Josh Shaw heroically saved his little cousin from drowning by jumping from a two story balcony, crawling to the pool, and magically slivered in and pulled his cousin to safety.

Wait a minute…

First I thought, a 7 year old in California can’t swim? How can you swim with two broken ankles? Is that even possible? The kid was alone at an apartment pool in the summertime? How’d he get out of the pool? There were plenty of questions. I put them all to rest because if the media reported it then it must be true right? I mean the media said Manti Teo had a girlfriend so of course they’re super credible.

But here we are on August 27th and the truth comes out. Josh Shaw lied. Josh Shaw was fleeing a burglary. Josh Shaw is an idiot. Now this is what I have a problem with. He didn’t have to lie. As college football fans we are well aware of how legal misconduct is handled when it pertains to high profile athletes. Theres a huge uproar, the athlete in question apologizes, the police commissioner gets box seats for the next home game, athlete gets slap on the wrist, we forgot about it. Apparently, Josh Shaw hasn’t been in touch with national media for the past decade. You big dummy.

If he had told the truth he would have only received a slap on the wrist. Might have been suspended for a few games and then boom he’s back with a vengeance and redeeming himself on and off the field. Instead Josh Shaw is suspended indefinitely from all football activities. Now his integrity is about as broken as Paul George’s leg and maybe his D-1 football career. We always say “innocent until proven guilty” but we also say “once a liar always a liar”. Capitan no mas for Josh.

There’s a valuable lesson to be learned in this. Only break into apartments on the first floor.

Earlier this evening Missouri Tigers DE Michael Sam announced that he is homosexual. This is the first high profile NCAA player to “come out”. I applaud Sam’s courage in announcing who he really is to the world and I pray that his team mates continue to support him through the tough times ahead.

The downside to this is that Michael Sam is also declaring for the NFL Draft and unfortunately this may affect his draft stock. NFL locker rooms are borderline homophobic which is somewhat appalling given the homoerotic behavior exhibited in most locker rooms. NFL executives may be wary of bringing in a player in fear of the retaliation or other issues that may be awaiting the soon to be NFL rookie. Especially given the fallout after the Jonathan Martin ordeal. This coupled with Sam’s less than stellar performance in Mizzou’s bowl game is definitely going to affect his draft stock.

But any who, congratulations to Sam for having courage enough to be who he really is in spite of all that may befall him. Michael Sam is a Tiger and regardless of the orientation of his stripes, he’s still a Tiger. Hopefully, sooner than later, everyone will see it that way.

This game was ridiculous from start to finish. Jordan Matthews played grown man football in this one. Without a doubt one of the most heartfelt performances that you will see from a college athlete. Matthews finished the game with 10 receptions 178 and a pass that bounced off his hands and cost his team the game. He literally left it all on the field after this hit.

GIF courtesy of SB Nation

Tonight what you saw is the importance of a team effort. These Rebels rolled together.

None came up bigger than Jeff Scott who broke off a 75 yard touchdown run with 1:07 left to play in the game putting the Rebels up for good in what was one of the best games I’ve seen period. And it’s only week one.

Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze starting his career at Ole Miss with a splash. Freeze channeled his inner Stonewall Jackson and lead the rebels to victory last night against Vandy. This game is truly a testament to the adage “it isn’t how you start, it’s how you finish”. Whatever he told his team at halftime worked. The Commodores started the 3rd quarter up by 17. The rebels methodically erased that lead. One drive was dominated by freshman WR Laquon Treadwell, the #1 ranked wideout in last years recruiting class. Another drive marked by QB Bo Wallace orchestrating the read option like a savvy veteran. Led by their ground attack, the Rebels scored 29 points in the second half on the way to victory.

What we can take away from this game is that Ole Miss’ recruiting class is as good as advertised and in the years to come they will be a force to be reckoned with. Their freshmen left their mark on this game. Hugh Freeze and company might not win a SEC title this season but they might surprise some people.

James Franklin offense lacks creativity and his defense lacks consistency. Jordan Matthews is the real deal but Vandy as a team. OVERrated. If they want to succeed somebody might want to step up so Carta-Samuels won’t stare him down every play.

I’m not really sure what this means but I do not like it. It seems the SEC, Big Ten and PAC-12 and have followed the NCAA and folded under the pressure of litigation costs. They have decided that they will no longer license their trademarks out to EA sports for use in the NCAA Football video game. They citing the mounting mounds of cash dedicated to litigation as the reason why.

This is very disturbing for me because as a child the NCAA Football game was the reason I became so immersed in college football. I learned “Rocky Top” because of NCAA Football. I remember playing the game and my father hearing me hum the tune and asked me did I know the words. The rest was history.

The video game may arguably be one of the NCAA’s biggest marketing tools. This decision may signal an end to the franchise. I don’t see how you can make the game without three of the nation’s power conferences logos. I think the schools can still choose to license their individual schools trademarks out. That fact provides an ounce of hope that the franchise can survive.

Former players are suing the NCAA for many things; using models that resembled them in the game without compensation just so happens to be one of those things. Apparently the litigation costs outweigh the marketing benefits the game provides. The NCAA is standing by its declaration that it has solid legal footing in using the players in the video game but we know a smoke screen when we see it. I’m assuming any future earnings from the video game would be considered in a settlement package if the case doesn’t go the NCAA’s way. Might just be temporary and simply damage control. What do you guys think about this mess?

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced this morning that he plans on suing the NCAA for the sanctions handed down. I believe he has all the right to do so. An entire program and school was punished for the actions of a few people.

The $16 million dollar fine on the football program. How did that serve justice for the molested children? Here you are punishing an entire program which includes several families, students, etc. for the actions of a few individuals.

Forfeiting the wins. Why would you forfeit the wins for those years and tarnish the legacy of all those players and other individuals for the actions of a few people? Did Sandusky molesting kids give Penn States football team an unfair advantage over the other schools? Did him molesting kids bring recruits to the school? I think not. Therefore they have no grounds to forfeit those wins.

I could go on and on about this but Joe Paterno is dead. Bless his soul. And Sandusky is exactly where he belongs and will remain. Justice has been served. The individuals who committed the crimes or misdeeds have been punished. So why must the innocents of the Penn State Football suffer along with them, and suffer so greatly.

It is unjust. The punishment was so severe as to make sure that the NCAA would receive no backlash accusing them of allowing such actions by their players and coaches. It is all a political game. No need for the fine. No need for half the things that happened. Unfortunately those things did happen but we need to move on. Justice has been served, now let’s reevaluate all these sanctions and fines and hand out a more appropriate punishment. Shout out to Tom Corbett for having the moral courage to stand against the popular sentiment and fighting for the forgotten.

I’m not naive enough to believe that this isn’t a political move by the Governor but I’m still hoping people will echo my sentiments. Those students at Penn State don’t deserve this. Those coaches don’t deserve this. The families of all those associated individuals don’t deserve this. Let’s give em what they deserve. Sandusky got what he deserved. Let Penn State Live.

It was a big weekend for the Crimson Tide. They faced the Georgia Bulldogs in a game that in all honesty the Bulldogs should have won. Unfortunately, everyone familiar with the Georgia Bulldogs knows that this program is the Gary Coleman of the SEC as they always come up short. The Bulldogs had the advantage in just about every position. Momentum was on their side, They had a decent lead they couldn’t hold on to, couldn’t stop that Tide from rolling.

In other more surprising news the New York Jets finally sat Mark Sanchez. No one can figure out why they let him keep the starting spot this long. Greg McElroy got his chance with Tim Tebow out with broken ribs and he did the same thing he did at Alabama. He played efficiently and mistake free football. McElroy is a good game manager but he isn’t the long term answer at QB. More than likely decent play by McElroy will keep Sanchez on the bench until seasons end.

Look for the Jets to try and trade off Sanchez’z contract or restructure his deal this offseason. What will be surprising to see is what they will do with Tebow once he returns. The coaches have been reluctant to let him see the field. The Jets are going to have a real QB controversy on their hands this

The Tennessee Volunteers recently fired their Head Football Coach, Derek Dooley. The firing was long overdue. Dooley and his entire staff needs to go. During Derek Dooley’s tenure at Rocky Top he posted a 15-21 record and 4-19 record in Conference play. Which is pathetic. In the past twenty years the Vols have 5 losing seasons. Three of those years belong to Dooley. It was his time to go. He has not done anything worth mentioning his entire time there. With the NCAA imposing more sanctions on the school because of Lane Kiffen’s violation it is going to make it a little harder to lure a talented to coach to Neyland. While Tennessee has a strong culture of winning and a historically prestigious program, Dooley has turned them into a doormat the past few years.

Jim Chaney is currently the interim Head Coach. I expect he will be fired as well. The offense has put up great numbers this year, but with the amount of talent on that team it is a consensus that the offense has underperformed. Sal Sunseri might be kept on staff. In what capacity I don’t know. This was his first year as Defensive Coordinator but the defense has been lost theentire season. The lack of tackling and assignment responsibility has been obvious. These are things that can be coached. Sunseri might be a great defensive mind but the coaching itself should be left to someone else cause apparently no one who plays for the Vols can understand what is going on.

A few names have been thrown around. David Cutliffe said he’s staying at Duke. He would be any Vols fan choice. Kirby Smart, Tommy Tuberville, and even Jon Gruden’s name has been thrown into the hat. Gruden is a name I have questions about. In the NFL Gruden always preferred veteran players over rookies. I wonder does he have the ability to actually coach the younger players. That’s to be seen.

There are lot’s of names out there. Who do you guys think will be the best candidate?